


Just Make That Boy Way Smaller, Please

by moretrash



Series: Dads of Marmora [27]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Age Regression/De-Aging, Crying, Dads of Marmora (Voltron), Established Relationship, Fluff, Give Coran Credit 2k18, Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure, I can't come up with a serious title to save my life, Keith loves Hippos, Needles, Nightmares, Protective Acxa, Some fluff before the storm that is season 6, Zarkon is mentioned for like a second in a nightmare, baby Keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-23 11:32:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14933435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moretrash/pseuds/moretrash
Summary: The Galra have developed a new weapon that turns the target into a young child.Keith saves Hunk from being hit by it, leading to a week of adorable adventures involving baby Keith.





	Just Make That Boy Way Smaller, Please

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: 
> 
> "If you're still doing requests, I'd like to see a de-aged Keith and his pack's reaction to a kit looking Keith. You can add Krolia and Acxa and/or the Paladins if you'd like, or however it happens."

Walking along the darkened hallways of the Galra ship with Keith was oddly calming to Hunk. Hunk would usually be scared and nervous, jumping at every little noise, but walking with Keith was soothing to him, in a weird way. 

Looking back, Keith had always been a soothing presence to Hunk, ever since they had both attended the Garrison. The quiet boy would always be there to offer silent, somewhat awkward and unpracticed comfort. Then, Hunk had befriended Lance and pushed away the quiet boy just because Lance had insisted he was bad. But had Keith really been bad? No, not at all. He was quiet and shy, and a bit confrontational, sure, plus the fact that he was dealing with what must have been extreme grief after the Kerberos mission had gone wrong, but he wasn’t bad or rude. 

Even when he was a paladin, Keith was always there to help Hunk when he needed it. He let Hunk ramble about his worries and fears to him, and never once did Keith complain. Hunk felt a sting of guilt when he realized that, until recently, Keith had never had that same sort of comfort. Looking back, Hunk remembered how Keith would sometimes get frustrated tears in his eyes over the simplest of things, and Hunk suspected that the tears were really just pent-up emotions that threatened to be released at the slightest inconvenience. 

Keith glanced up at Hunk and smiled, insanely glad that he could join in on the mission. He always enjoyed spending time with the paladins, which he considered part of his pack. Hunk was good company to have, the kind boy always willing to give a hug, and he made the most delicious foods for anyone who was feeling down. 

Keith looked back ahead and froze in his tracks when he saw a sentry move their way. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem, but the sentry was holding a weapon Keith had never seen before.

And it was pointed right at Hunk.

Keith knew there wasn’t enough time to run and take down the sentry before the weapon was fired. Panic rose in his throat for a moment as he considered the idea of Hunk dying. He ran in front of Hunk just as the weapon was fired, crying out as the strange laser hit his chest and he collapsed, his vision going black. 

Hunk cried out and aimed his bayard at the sentry, taking it out with one pull of the trigger. He dropped to his knees next to Keith, except there wasn’t any Keith. All that remained was a heap of fabric and armor that was Keith’s blade uniform, and Hunk felt tears come to his eyes.

Keith had been evaporated, that was all there was to it. 

Hunk started to cry, startled cries coming from the paladins on the other ends of the comms. 

“What’s wrong, Hunk? Did something happen?” Shiro asked worriedly.

“Keith is dead.” Hunk said, crying harder as the full reality of his belief kicked in. 

“What? What do you mean, he’s dead? Hunk, what happened?” Shiro asked. HUnk took a deep breath and wiped at his eyes.

“This sentry had a new weapon and was aiming it at me. Keith jumped in front of me and now all that’s left is his armor and… what the-?” Hunk cut himself off, rustling the fabric and armor around.

“What’s going on over there, Hunk? Are you okay?” Shiro asked, worried that Hunk had gotten injured.

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine, thanks to Keith. But… yeah, this sound weird, but he was turned into a baby.” Hunk said. Indeed, as Hunk shifted the armor, he found the form of a small Galran baby. At first he thought that a baby had gotten curious and wanted to play, but then he saw a telltale mullet and purple irises. 

“I’m sorry, what?” Pidge asked incredulously.

“Yeah! Keith was turned into a baby, and oh my god is he adorable! His hair is a little mullet!” Hunk said, scooping Keith up with the fabric of his uniform so he had something covering him. Keith let out a questioning sound at the sound of his name, looking up at Hunk.

“Is he okay, though?” Lance asked, his voice confused. Hunk looked over Keith and smiled gently.

“Yeah, he’s fine. It looks like he’ll have a killer headache since I think he hit his head when he fell, and he looks pretty close to crying, but I think he’s just scared.” Hunk said, followed by, “No, Keith, don’t chew on older you’s armor.” when Keith started to try and gnaw on a piece of the armor. Keith looked at Hunk and started to cry, loud wails filling the hallway. Hunk panicked, considering the awful possibility of someone finding them. He stood up and gathered Keith’s armor as well, heading back to the yellow lion. Keith continued to wail, clutching at his head.

Hunk sat down in the pilot seat of the yellow lion, setting the lion onto autopilot so he could focus on Keith. He looked at his head and saw a bump forming where Keith had hit his head. 

“Hey, Keith, can you tell me who I am?” Hunk asked gently, wanting to see if Keith remembered anything. Keith looked up at Hunk and smiled.

“‘Unk!” Keith said happily. Hunk smiled and ruffled Keith’s hair gently.

“Good job! We’re gonna go to the castle, okay? Do you remember that?” Hunk said. Keith whimpered and started crying again.

“I wan’ papa!” Keith said, starting to wail. Hunk was confused, in all honesty. Keith looked no older than a year old or so if he were a human, and while he wasn’t an expert in babies, he didn’t think babies would be able to string together full sentences at that age.

“Hey, Lance, you know a lot about kids, right?” Hunk asked.

“Of course! What’s wrong?” Lance asked worriedly. 

“Keith looks about a year old, but he’s speaking full, if simple, sentences. Is that normal?” Hunk questioned, holding Keith gently. Keith calmed down and whimpered, looking up at Hunk. Hunk smiled and stroked Keith’s hair in an attempt to calm him.

“Well, first of all, no, its not normal for a baby to speak full sentences that young. They usually only speak one word at a time.” Lance said, tilting his head as he thought. “Is Keith okay?”

“Yeah, he keeps saying he wants his papa, though.” Hunk said. Lance winced and sighed.

“I really hope its a member of his pack and not his actual father that he’s asking for.” Lance said. And it was a member of his pack; to time, ‘papa’ was Ulaz, and he had been for a while, Keith had just been too shy to voice that fact. Thace was ‘daddy’. Regris had started calling Thace that a while back, and Thace didn’t mind at all, so Keith had started to call Thace that in his head. Kolivan was ‘dad’, and Antok was ‘pa’ in his mind. 

All Keith wanted at the moment was Ulaz, because he was a doctor and could make the ache in Keith’s head disappear. Keith clung to Hunk and whined, his ears flicking as he grumbled miserably. Hunk nodded as if he understood.

“Yeah, I know, you’ve had a rough day, huh?” Hunk said gently. “What’s your papa’s name?” He asked curiously. Keith brightened up and smiled.

“‘Laz!” Keith said excitedly, looking up at Hunk and whining like an excited puppy. Hunk grinned and held Keith securely.

“Yeah? Well, you’re in luck, buddy, Ulaz and the rest of your pack are at the castle. Now, the lion is going to land in a moment, so hold on tight to me, okay? It jolts you a bit and I don’t want you to get hurt.” Hunk said, holding tighter to Keith as the lion landed. He felt the ground tremble slightly as each of the heavy lions landed in the hangar besides him. He held Keith in his arms and exited his lion, smiling when he saw Keith’s pack, who all looked confused when they saw Keith. Keith grinned and squirmed in Hunk’s arms.

“Papa! Papa!” He chanted, reaching towards the group. All of the adults glanced at each other, trying to figure out who that was. Hunk chuckled and held on to Keith to make sure he didn’t fall.

“Keith was hit with his new weapon that turned him into a baby. And, Keith told me ‘papa’ was you,” Hunk said, handing Keith to Ulaz. Ulaz looked surprised but smiled when Keith curled close, clinging on. 

“Papa, head hurts.” Keith said, showing Ulaz the forming bump on his head. Ulaz frowned and gently pressed down, letting up when Keith cried out.

“That looks awful, kit, how did that happen?” He asked gently, carrying Keith to the medical bay to grab some children’s pain medicine. The paladins had basic supplies to take care of children, just in case they rescued a kid and needed to keep it on the castle for a bit. This fact was a small mercy to Ulaz as he handed the pill to Keith, encouraging him to swallow it. Keith did, though he didn’t look happy about it. Keith looked around and grinned when he saw Krolia come in.

“Mama! Mama mama mama!” Keith chanted excitedly, thrashing in Ulaz’s arms in an attempt to get free. Krolia’s head snapped over at the name, her eyes widening when she saw Keith. She hurried over and took Keith out of Ulaz’s arms, grinning as Keith calmed down and relaxed, purring happily.

“What happened to Keith?” Krolia asked worriedly. Ulaz smiled and chuckled when Keith grabbed ahold of Krolia’s rattail and held on.

“He was hit by a new weapon during the mission he went on. It turned him into a baby the same age he is in Galra terms.” Ulaz explained. Krolia nodded and smiled fondly at Keith, patting his back gently as she carried him to where all the baby supplies were kept. She grabbed a soft but onesie, staring at in in fascination since Galra children typically didn’t wear anything like that. She put Keith into the onesie and smiled, cooing at how adorable Keith looked in it. She grabbed a couple of toys to keep Keith occupied and carried him to the nest in the lounge. 

Pidge looked over at Keith and stuck out their tongue experimentally. Keith giggled and stuck his tongue out as well, attracting the attention of the paladins and Galra lounging in the nest and on the couches. Acxa gasped and leaned close to Keith’s face out of confusion, jumping back when Keith started to cry. Antok pulled Acxa against him reassuringly.

“Do not worry, kit, you did nothing wrong. Keith is just hungry. You’ll learn the different pitches when or if you choose to have children of your own.” Antok said gently, rubbing her back as she relaxed from her worry that she had caused her brother to cry. 

“Well, what can baby Galra eat?” Hunk asked, “I don’t want to make the little guy sick by feeding him the wrong thing.”

“Well, he needs something with a lot of nutrients. Normally at this age, Galran children would eat soft solids. Tender meats and softened fruits and vegetables. Not pureed, but easy to chew.” Krolia instructed. Keith continued to wail, tugging on Krolia’s hair demandingly. Krolia frowned and freed her hair from his grasp as Hunk went to go make a small meal for Keith. 

“Now, Keith, no hair pulling, use your words to ask for what you want.” Krolia said gently, nuzzling Keith. Keith paused at the soft scold and was quiet for a moment.

“Hungry.” Keith said, tears still dripping down his cheeks. Krolia smiled and purred to him.

“Good job! You’ll get food soon okay? I promise, its cooking right now.” Krolia said, handing Keith a set of blocks to play with. Keith crawled into Kolivan’s lap, still a bit upset that he wasn’t fed yet, but in a better mood now that he was reassured that food was coming. 

“Dad, play?” Keith asked innocently, holding a block up to Kolivan with a hopeful smile. And, well, how could Kolivan say no to such an adorable sight? He smiled gently at Keith and picked him up, setting him on the floor and sitting next to him so that they had an even surface to use the blocks on. Keith grinned happily and started to build.

“So, is it normal for Galran children to speak so early?” Pidge asked. Antok smiled and nodded.

“Absolutely! Galran children develop their speech capabilities very early. If anything, Keith is actually not developed enough in terms of his speech. Galran children, by the time they’re Keith’s age, can actually form complex sentences.” Antok explained. Pidge tilted their head in thought.

“That’s interesting. Keith is actually well ahead for his age by human standards. Human children can’t speak at all until usually around six months, and then its only one word at a time, like “mom” and “dad”. Children Keith’s age wouldn’t start to string simple sentences together for a while longer, usually.” Pidge explained.

“Well, if they can’t talk, how do human children communicate their needs?” Thace asked. Keith’s ears perked up at the sound of his voice and grinned. 

“They cry. Its sort of a guessing game as to why they’re crying, though.” Lance said. Antok tilted his head and smiled when Keith batted at his tail happily. He moved his tail out of the way, swinging the tuft to entice Keith into chasing it. 

Keith darted towards the tail, tumbling around happily every time Antok moved it out of the way before he could grab on. Keith paused when he saw Thace leave the room.

“Pa, where’s daddy going?” Keith asked curiously. Antok had to take a moment to realize that Keith was asking him a question, and smiled gently.

“He’s probably telling Hunk how much food to give you.” He said, tickling Keith’s stomach and grinning at Keith’s happy giggles. Keith looked over and grinned when he saw Regris, climbing into his lap. Regris smiled and held Keith gently.

“Hey, little guy.” Regris said, scratching behind his ears gently. Keith smiled and relaxed, purring happily. He perked up when Hunk and Thace came in with food, looking over with a questioning expression. Thace smiled and sat down, pulling Keith into his lap as he held the plate. Lance frowned at the amount of food on the plate.

“I’m obviously not an expert on Galran children, but that looks like way too much food.” Lance said, staring at the dinner plate that was filled with food in the same amount Pidge would eat for a small meal. 

“Hunk said that too. But its actually the normal amount a kit Keith’s age would be able to eat. Of course, Keith may not want to eat all of it because of his human genes. If that’s the case, we can always save it with the rest of the pre-prepared food for Keith for later.” Thace said. Hunk smiled a bit.

“I made extra for a few more meals so Keith doesn’t have to wait as long to be fed.” Hunk explained, smiling gently at Keith as he started to try to eat the food with his hands. Thace smiled and picked up the fork, spearing a bit of food and holding it out to Keith.

“No, don’t eat that with your hands. There are plenty of nice foods that you can eat with your hands, but not these.” Thace said with a smile as Keith started to eat. Lance smiled as he watched Keith, sighing.

“As adorable as baby Keith is, I really want my boyfriend back. Any way we can make that happen?” Lance asked. Ulaz nodded a bit in agreement.

“Keith is indeed adorable like this, but we do want him back in his older form. We know that it was caused by a weapon of some sort, so the empire should know how to reverse the effects in case any accidents happened. The problem is finding out how to reverse it.” Ulaz said. Pidge tilted their head.

“So, what do we do with Keith in the meantime? Take turns babysitting him while the others go on missions to find information?” They asked. Shiro shrugged.

“Well, I think that’s really our only option. We can’t leave a baby alone in a castle like this, even with Coran around. No offense, Coran, but you do work on a lot of important things that are crucial to missions. Keith could wander off and get lost if you turn your back for even a minute.” Shiro said. Coran smiled softly.

“No offense taken. Even if I didn’t do all that during missions, I don’t think I could handle Keith for too long if he turned out to be an active child.” Coran assured. 

“Should we make a schedule or something? Because we do need some time to relax after missions, if at all possible. It wouldn’t be fair if we accidentally sent someone on like three missions to find a solution in a row.” Lance pointed out. Keith stopped eating after about half of the plate, turning his face away from any more that was offered to him. 

“I guess we could. We could just go as it flows, but people,” Pidge looked pointedly at Shiro when they said that, “would need to speak up if they’re too tired to go and try to find a reversal.” Shiro looked slightly sheepish, as he was well known for pushing himself to the brink, often completely collapsing before he would take a break. Ulaz frowned at the implications of Pidge’s look, making a mental note to talk to Shiro about taking care of himself.

“Alright. Hey, do you think Keith would like a plushy?” Hunk asked curiously. Kolivan tilted his head in confusion as he looked at Keith.

“What is a plushy, exactly?” He asked, looking slightly like a puppy as he asked, with his head tilted and his ears flicking.

“Well, its a toy, I guess. They normally look like animals and such, except they’re fabric stuffed with some sort of stuffing, making them sort of cuddly for children. Kids his age usually like plushies, and I think it would be beneficial for him to have one.” Hunk explained, grinning as Keith tried to go back to playing, only to be made to relax by Kolivan, who’s head was still tilted in confusion.

“How would something like that be beneficial to him?” Kolivan questioned. Lance smiled and jumped in to explain.

“Well, I’m not an expert on child psychology, but its like a comfort for him. Something he can take everywhere with him and cling to when he gets scared. I know we can comfort him, but there might be times when he’s alone for a few minutes and gets scared. Plus, he’s probably really scared or confused right now, and I know a lot of kids sometimes tell their toys their feelings that they can’t really explain to adults, you know? Plus, it’ll be nice for him to have one.” Lance tried to explain. Kolivan nodded and ran his hands through Keith’s hair.

“That sounds interesting. But where would we find one?” He asked, “We have those for children, but they are typically more pillow-like than taking on the form of an animal.” he explained. Krolia looked up and smiled at Keith.

“I believe I saw some when I got him some clothes and some toys.” Krolia said, sitting next to Keith. “Hey, Keith, you wanna go get a new toy?” She asked, smiling. Keith looked up at the sound of his name, smiling. “Yeah, I’m talking to you, kit.” She said, scooping him up and taking him to where the toys were stored. She took down a box of stuffed animals and showed them to Keith.

“Pick one from here, alright? Pick any one you want.” She said. Keith glanced in the box, his eyes brightening when he saw a particular one. It looked similar to a hippo, but with more than four eyes and sharper teeth.

“‘IPPO!” Keith shouted excitedly, fishing it out of the box and holding the gray plushy to his chest. Krolia tilted her head at the odd choice, but didn’t try to discourage it.

“You want that one, kit?” She clarified. Keith nodded and clutched it tighter to his chest, burying the bottom half of his face in the soft gray material. Krolia smiled and put the box back, scooping Keith up again and carrying him to the nest. Shiro chuckled fondly when he saw what Keith was clutching in his hands.

“Why am I not surprised Keith chose something that looked like a hippo?” He asked. Antok made a questioning noise and picked Keith up, wrapping his tail around him as a blanket, which worked considering that Keith was small enough to almost fit entirely in one of his hands. 

“Keith’s been obsessed with hippos as long as I’ve known him. It was actually pretty endearing to watch him get all excited whenever someone mentioned a hippo. One time, he dragged me to a zoo in the town near the Garrison because it opened a hippo exhibit.” Shiro said, smiling fondly at Keith. Krolia smiled at the fond memory of her son, but it also reminded her of the fact that she finally had the chance to learn these things about her son, which made her happier. 

“That’s a pretty neat toy you’ve got there, Keith. What’re you gonna name it?” Lance asked, thoroughly confusing the Galra, since it was not normal for kits to name their toys. Keith smiled shyly and hid his face in his toy.

“‘Ippo.” Keith said simply. Lance smiled and nodded, patting Keith’s head gently.

“That’s a great name!” He said brightly.

-

That night, everyone in the nest was awoken by Keith’s screaming wails at one in the morning. 

Ulaz scooped Keith up and rocked him back and forth in his lap.

“What’s the matter, kit? Can you tell me what has you so upset?” He asked softly, rubbing his back. Keith continued to cry, clinging to Ulaz like his life depended on it. Ulaz stood up with Keith in his arms and wandered out of the lounge, hoping to give Keith a chance to calm down and give everyone else the chance to go back to sleep. He walked into the kitchen and sat in a seat with a glass of water and a small snack in case Keith was hungry, remembering Lance saying that human children cried when they needed something. He rubbed Keith back soothingly and rumbled to him, humming an old Galran lullaby in hopes of slowing Keith’s crying. 

As time went on, Keith began to quiet down, fascinated by Ulaz’s humming and soft singing. He sniffled and looked up at Ulaz as he rubbed at his eyes with a small fist. Ulaz smiled down at him and groomed his hair gently, nuzzling his cheek.

“Can you tell me what’s wrong?” Ulaz asked gently. Keith let out another sob and clung to Ulaz, sipping at the glass of water that Ulaz held for him.

“Scary.” Keith whispered, his voice terrified. Ulaz frowned in worry and sat Keith on the table so they could be more closely at eye-level with each other. Keith looked up at Ulaz and whimpered in fear, clinging to Ulaz’s hand when he couldn’t reach his body. 

“What’s scary, kit? What scared you?” Ulaz asked, trying to coax an answer from Keith. Keith frowned and let out a short wail. 

“Scary man.” Keith explained, as though it were the most telling thing in the world. And to Ulaz, it was. It told him that whatever had scared Keith was a person, but Ulaz still didn’t know who he was scared of.

“What about that scary man scares you, kit?” Ulaz asked gently, lifting him onto his hip as he stood up. Keith whined a bit and squirmed until he was able to be comfortable. 

“Scary make take Ro-ro two.” Keith whimpered, his eyes filling with tears again. Ulaz nodded a bit and wandered back towards the nest.

“Can you tell me who Ro-ro is?” Ulaz asked, setting Keith down in the nest. Keith nodded and made his way over to where Shiro was sleeping, nestled safely in Matt’s arms.

“Ro-ro.” Keith said, his voice soft as he pointed to Shiro. At the sound of his name, Shiro stirred a bit, but stayed asleep. Ulaz tried to work through what Keith had explained earlier in the kitchen.

“You’re scared of the man who took Shiro twice?” Ulaz clarified, scooping Keith up and holding him securely so he didn’t fall. Keith nodded and yawned, the crying having worn him out. Ulaz realized that Keith had had a nightmare about Zarkon taking Shiro again. 

“Shiro is fine, I promise. See? He’s sleeping just fine, just like you should be. Let’s lay down and sleep, okay?” Ulaz said, laying Keith down between himself and Thace, handing Keith his stuffed hippo. Keith curled up and drifted off to sleep.

-

Everyone decided to let Keith sleep in the next morning to make up for the lost sleep during the night. Shiro stayed with Keith while everyone else went to breakfast, which he was only allowed to do after he swore up and down that he would eat when he gave Keith breakfast. He was known for skipping meals in favor of working or training without even realizing it, but it was getting harder for him to do now that Matt had him on a semi-regular diet of eating at all three meals and having a snack when he got hungry in-between. 

Shiro smiled down at Keith, fondly petting his hair with his flesh hand while going through some work on a datapad. Keith had briefly woken up earlier when he was being shifted to Shiro while everyone else went to eat breakfast, but he fell asleep quickly once he got comfortable in his new spot. Keith had one hand clinging tightly to the fabric of Shiro’s shirt, making sure he didn’t leave, while he was loosely hugging his hippo with the other arm. His tail was smacking against the blankets of the nest in response to what he was dreaming about. Shiro had been about to stop his tail’s wagging, but he realized that it didn’t look like it was hurting Keith, so he let it be.

Keith stirred and opened his eyes and few minutes later, yawning and rubbing his eyes with a loose fist. He looked up at Shiro and grinned, sitting up.

“Mornin’ Ro-ro.” Keith said brightly, hugging him. Shiro jumped at the voice and took a moment to realize that ‘Ro-ro’ was him. He smiled down at Keith when he looked over.

“Good morning, Keith. Did you sleep good?” Shiro asked, lifting Keith onto his lap. Keith smiled and nodded, yawning again. 

“Hungry.” He said insistently, tugging impatiently at Shiro’s shirt. Shiro smiled and set the datapad aside, standing up and lifting Keith onto his hip.

“Alright, Keith. Let’s go get you some breakfast, okay?” Shiro said, walking into the dining room and kitchen. He set Keith on the counter and stepped towards the fridge, taking out the prepared meals for Keith, thankful that Thace and Hunk had separated them so that he didn’t have to guess on how much to give Keith. He stuck a plate of food into what he understood to be a microwave-like machine. When he looked over, he saw Matt staring him down, no doubt making sure he made himself some food. He rolled his eyes and pulled out a bowl, filling it with food goo, making sure Matt could see him doing it so he would stop death staring at him. 

He took Keith’s food and smiled, feeding Keith the food while eating his own meal, chuckling at Keith every so often. 

Matt picked Keith up once he was done eating and grinned, holding him securely in his arms as he took him back to the nest.

“So, who’s going to go look for a solution and who’s going to stay here?” Matt asked, ruffling Keith’s hair with a grin. “Not that Keith isn’t adorable, but I want big Keith back.” he added, setting Keith down. Keith ran over to Kolivan and Antok and crawled into their laps, nuzzling them happily. Krolia came in with Acxa, Lotor not far behind. Acxa was growling lowly at Lotor, and no amount of scolding from Krolia was getting her to let up. Ulaz raised his eyebrow in a silent question to Krolia and Acxa.

“Lotor wanted to see Keith, and Acxa is very protective of Keith, as you know. It doesn’t help that she and Lotor already have bad history, either, so she’s trying to assert her dominance to Lotor in a way.” Krolia explained. Keith looked up and smiled happily when he spotted Acxa and Krolia, tilting his head when he saw Lotor. Lotor smiled and sat next to Keith.

“Hello, young one. Do you remember who I am?” Lotor asked, his voice soft and soothing. Keith nodded a bit in response.

“Wotor.” Keith said, looking proud at his almost-correct pronunciation. Lotor nodded and smiled.

“Can you say ‘Lotor’?” He asked, enunciating the ‘L’ sound in his name. Keith tilted his head in confusion.

“Wotor.” He repeated firmly, convinced that his pronunciation was correct. Lotor sighed in defeat and patted his head.

“Close enough, little one.” Lotor said, smiling wider when he saw Keith glow under the praise. Keith nodded happily and curled up against Antok, smiling happily. Acxa stuck close by and tucked herself against Krolia, still growling. Hunk was sure that if Acxa was a dog, her cockles would be up. 

“I think myself, Pidge, and Ulaz should go.” Shiro suggested. “I mean, I could unlock area of the ship, Pidge can hack really well, and Ulaz used to work in a ship, so he would know where files are kept.” He explained. Ulaz nodded a bit and looked at Pidge.

“That sounds like a good plan. Are you alright with the plan, young paladin?” Ulaz asked Pidge. Pidge looked bewildered at the question for a moment before smiling softly. 

“Yeah, that sounds like a good plan.” They said, getting up. Coran looked up and smiled gently.

“There is a Galra ship a short distance away, maybe a two varga ride in your lions.” Coran stated. Shiro nodded a bit and looked at Pidge.

“Alright. Pidge, you go get your armor on and meet me and Ulaz in the hangar.” Shiro instructed, smiling when Pidge got up and trotted to their room. Shiro went to his own room to get change. Ulaz smiled gently and kissed Keith head, going to wait in the hangar for Shiro and Pidge since he had never changed out of his armor. Keith looked up at Thace in confusion.

“Where Papa goin’, daddy?” Keith asked, tilting his head in confusion. Thace smiled gently and rubbed his back.

“Ulaz is going to go get some… medicine, that’s going to help you, okay?” Thace explained, trying to explain what they were going to do in the easiest way possible for a child to understand. Keith nodded and frowned.

“He an’ Ro-Ro an’ ‘Idge comin’ back?” Keith asked, whimpering at the idea that they weren’t, starting to thrash in Thace’s arms to go find them and bring them back. 

“They’ll be back soon, I promise, kit. They’ll be okay.” Thace promised, kissing Keith’s head and nuzzling him. Keith relaxed and yawned. Lance chuckled lightly.

“Tired already, kiddo?” He asked fondly, draping a blanket over Keith when Thace set him down. Thace grinned and pet Keith’s hair, handing him his stuffed hippo as the child started to drift off to sleep.

“Galran children need a lot of sleep. In fact, children don’t do a whole lot other than eat, sleep, and play.” Thace explained, sighing when Keith latched onto his clothes and made sure he stayed there. Krolia scooted closer and laid next to Keith, smiling when Acxa laid on her other side and curled up. Regris looked jealous for a brief moment before Antok pulled him close and nuzzled him, letting him relax in preparation for a nap. 

-

When Shiro, Pidge, and Ulaz returned, they looked sullen.

“Did something happen, my mate?” Thace asked worriedly, searching Ulaz for injuries. Ulaz shook his head and kissed Thace’s cheek when Thace stopped his mother-henning.

“Nothing happened. We just didn’t find anything.” He explained. Pidge looked away and frowned. Shiro sat up from where he was lounging with Matt and pulled Pidge into a hug. 

“Pidge, you know it isn’t your fault, right? You were right to get out of the control room when the sentries realized you were there. Your protection comes before any data, you know that.” Shiro said gently, rubbing their back. Matt nodded and hugged Pidge close.

“Yeah, I would much rather we lose any data than have you hurt or dead. We would all prefer that.” Matt said, holding Pidge close and rubbing their back gently. “You’re my baby sibling, I wanna keep you safe.” He said. Pidge smiled and punched Matt’s arm weakly.

“I can take care of myself, you know.” Pidge said. Matt grinned and nodded.

“Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m proud of you for taking care of yourself and leaving.” Matt said. Pidge smiled and relaxed, sighing out the rest of their tension. 

-

The next two outings to find a solution to Keith’s issue resulted in the same lack of information. Keith had been a child for a week, and as endearing as he was, everyone was desperate for adult Keith to be back.

Keith was currently clinging tightly to Kolivan, which was a new development. Keith hadn’t willingly let anyone leave the castle to find a solution to his problem after Thace had come back with a few minor injuries. They had to wait until Keith was asleep to leave, and if keith woke up while they were gone, Keith would be in hysterics until they came back, even if they could video call the people who had left. 

The biggest problem? Keith had begun to realize that they tried to get him to sleep before they left. As a result, Keith was refusing to sleep in fear of his friends and family leaving without him knowing, which only made him more irritable and upset.

“Come on, Keith. Don’t you wanna get your medicine? You gotta let me leave to get it, kit. I promise I’ll come back.” Kolivan said, trying to coax Keith off of him. Keith started crying, clinging tighter to Kolivan. Kolivan could easily pull Keith off of him, but he didn’t want to break Keith’s trust. He knew Keith would lose all of his trust in Kolivan if he forced Keith off so he could leave.

Keith’s trust was a precious thing. One earned it after a long time, and it was very easy to lose. For sure, one of the easiest ways to break Keith’s trust was to absolutely disregard his feelings. 

Keith started to wail, clinging tighter to him. His breath came in hitches and he was clearly close to crying himself to sleep. Kolivan sincerely hoped that they would be able to find a solution to Keith’s problem, because he was sure he couldn’t emotionally take another round of Keith’s desperate wails to keep them nearby. 

Everyone else couldn’t take it much longer either. It was heartbreaking to hear Keith begging them to stay through crying. Krolia wasn’t allowed to be in the room when Keith started begging, because she would start sobbing as well. But she was always pacing outside of the room, clawing at the door and whining to get to her kit. 

“Is she okay?” Hunk asked worriedly, looking at Krolia as she clawed at the door and whined loudly when she found it locked to her. Ulaz held Krolia close and rubbed her back, trying to get her to relax.

“She can hear her kit crying. As a result, she is desperate to get to him to soothe him. But she will start crying as well, which only upsets Keith more because he thinks Krolia is sad. But, like a good, great Galran mother, she’s stopping at nothing to get to her kit.” Ulaz explained, grooming Krolia as gently as possible. 

“Please let me see him. He wants someone to be with him. He’s scared we’re going to leave him.” Krolia whimpered, trying to go in again and grinning when she found the door unlocked. She darted in and grabbed Keith, holding him close and rubbing his back as she cooed to him, tears coming to her eyes. It hurt to see her kit so distressed and scared, it really did. Kolivan, Antok, and Regris snuck out when Keith wasn’t looking, distracted by his mother’s newfound presence. Krolia smiled and held him gently, carrying him around the castle in hopes of calming him down. 

Keith started shrieking with sobs when he realized that Antok, Kolivan, and Regris were gone. He clung to Krolia and cried until his throat was raw, his crying reduced to soft sniffles because of the slight sting. 

“Keith, I promise they’ll be back soon. They’re going to get something to help you, but you need to let them go because its dangerous and they don’t want you to get hurt.” Krolia said softly, rocking him slightly. Keith took a shuddering breath and clung tighter to Krolia.

“Dangerous.” He repeated in a whimper, clearly worried about his pack members. Krolia nodded solemnly and held Keith securely.

“Yes, dangerous. But if they get hurt, Ulaz is a great doctor, yeah? He can fix them right up.” Krolia said, trying to keep her voice light and soothing. Thace walked into the room and smiled softly at the sight.

“Did Keith finally settle down?” Thace asked softly, resting a hand on Krolia’s back lightly. Krolia sighed and shook her head. 

“Unfortunately, no. I think he would keep sobbing if his throat wasn’t raw.” Krolia said, rubbing Keith’s back. Thace frowned in worry.

“Oh, the poor thing. Keith, do you want a drink of water to help your throat?” Thace asked, crouching down slightly so he was at Keith’s height in krolia’s arms. Keith sniffled and nodded a bit, leaning miserably against Krolia as the small group walked to the kitchen. Keith whimpered and glanced at Thace as the violet-colored Galra grabbed a sippy cup.

“What is that?” Krolia asked curiously. Thace smiled and held the sippy cup up for Krolia and Keith to see. Keith grinned and squealed softly when he saw the design was the hippo-like creature that his plushy was. 

“Lance showed me it. Its for children who don’t use bottles but are too young to hold a regular cup without spilling it. It has a cap with a small spout for the child to drink from, but if the child drops it, not a lot will spill out.” Thace explained. Krolia’s eyes widened in amazement as she handed the cup to Keith. Keith smiled and sipped at his water, slowly soothing his voice enough to speak.

“Daddy, everyone okay?” Keith asked gently, crawling onto the counter and munching on a bag of apple-like fruit. Thace nodded soothingly.

“I haven’t had a chance to talk to everyone yet, but I’m sure they’re okay.” Thace said, rubbing Keith’s back. Thace felt his heart break when he saw how miserable Keith looked; wailing, begging Keith was awful, but somehow, silent, miserable and resigned Keith was so much worse. Thace put him in the nest and sighed softly, letting Ulaz pull him close as he drifted off.

-

When Keith woke up, it was to a hand gently shaking him awake. Keith let his eyes blearily blink open,staring up at Regris. Keith brightened and clung to Regris tightly, squealing. He reached out to Antok and Kolivan when he saw them, scampering over and clinging to them. Kolivan smiled at him.

“Hey, kit! Look, we got your medicine!” Kolivan said, holding up a small container of a neon blue fluid. Keith looked at it and frowned.

“Drink?” Keith asked uncertainly. Ulaz shook his head sadly, taking a calming breath before explaining.

“No, kit. You have to have this injected. It’ll hurt badly, I won’t lie, it is a thick needle, but it’ll be fine. You’ll be better soon after.” Ulaz said, scooping Keith up. Keith made a soft whining sound, trying to avoid being carried to the medical bay. Kolivan sat next to Keith and turned his head away from the needle. 

“Your eyes see more pain than there is, kit. Look away and close your eyes.” Kolivan instructed. Keith did as Kolivan instructed, smiling at the praise he received.

Keith yelped loudly as Ulaz pushed the needle into his arm, whimpering loudly until it was removed. He felt a bit tired, clinging to Antok as he drifted off to sleep soon after the needle was removed from his arm. 

-

Keith woke up slowly, looking around the nest in the lounge at his pack and the paladins. He smiled a bit when he saw them all looking at him, before realizing he was no longer a kid. 

He sat up and grinned, laughing when everybody hugged him. He leaned against Lance and kissed him, clinging on happily. Lance smiled and kissed his cheek, sighing in satisfaction. Keith froze when he remembered the names he had called his pack members, hiding his face. It made sense to him, though. He considered them his father figures, and he had had the nicknames in his head for a while. But did they mind the names? Keith looked up at his pack and smiled shyly. He felt multiple pairs of arms trying hug him, and heard a mini argument occurring over who got to hug him first. In the end, he ended up in Antok’s arms, the enveloping embrace soothing his worries for a moment.

“Kit,” Kolivan started, and Keith felt his heart stop momentarily as he thought about what Kolivan was possibly going to say. Kolivan smiled softly and out a hand on Keith’s back as he continued, “we don’t mind the names you gave us, if that’s what you are worried about. We are actually quite glad you consider us father figures.” Kolivan reassured. Keith relaxed and grinned, looking at the five adult Galra around him. They all clearly agreed with Kolivan’s statement, which soothed Keith’s worries. 

He felt smaller, thinner arms wrap around his waist. Looking over, he saw Pidge smiling at him.

“Its good to have you back, Keith. Baby you just isn’t the same.” They said, smiling. Keith smiled softly and ruffled Pidge’s hair. 

“Its good to be back.” He responded. His time as a child had been nice and all, not having to worry about missions or training, but it got boring after a while when he had nothing to do. 

He glanced around at the paladins and grinned, making all of them relax now that they knew for a fact that Keith was okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Check out my tumblr legendary-marmorans !


End file.
